Coil winding machine



Se t. 20, 1966 1.. E. MUELLER 3,273,811

COIL WINDING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1963 I 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. LAWRENCE E. MUELLER. 0 BY ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1966 Filed May 6, 1963 L. E. MUELLER COIL WINDING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR L AWRE/VQE E MUELLER.

ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1966 1.. E. MUELLER 3,273,811!

COIL WINDING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 as N c6 a .2 g

I INVENTOR. BAV/Rf/VCE E. MUELLER.

ATTORNEY.

Sept. 20, 1966 L. E. MUELLER 3,273,811

COIL WINDING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 I26 I26 |22 I22 m I08 SIZOK IQ? I6};

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COIL WINDING MACHINE INVENTOR.

Q AWRENCE E. MUELLER.

wwf z i ATTORNEY 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 6, 1963 m /m m E 33 i N: o: v: 3 2: M \ia a: L, N m2 3\ L\\\ 7 m2 E P L H, W fi \w\ ME r E E E E i Q: .NWAE O2 LAWRENCE E. MUELLER BY p 0, 1966 L. E. MUELLER 3,273,811

COIL WINDING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed May 6, 1963 INVENTOR.

E. MUELLER.

Sept. 20, 1966 Filed May 6, 1963 Z QIZ L. E. MUELLER COIL WINDING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 VENT'OR.

LAWRENcEEMU E LLER.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,273,811 COIL WINDING MACHINE Lawrence E. Mueller, Livonia, Mich, assignor to Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed May 6, 1963, Ser. No. 278,046 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-9) This invention relates generally to coil winding machines and particularly to wire handling apparatus therefor.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved coil winding machine which is wholly automatically operable in the successive winding of coils from a continuous strand of wire.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a coil winding machine in which a wire threaded needle revolves to wind a wire about a core piece, a wire handling mechanism cooperable with the winding means to effect the severing of the coil from the wire stock and releasably hold the wire stock for the winding of a coil about the next presented core piece.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a coil winding machine in which a core piece dispenser is carried by a shuttle or core carrier for automatically supplying the cores singly to a core clamp in timed relation to the operation of the latter.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the fol-lowing detail description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a coil winding machine embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view, taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of a read-write transducer illustrating the core pieces and windings thereon;

FIG. 10 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 1t)10 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 11-11 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain details of the machine;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line 1313 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is another fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line 14-14 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the machine; and

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatical illustration of the machine and its control system.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the present coil winding machine is a cyclically operable machine which is particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of read-write transducer heads 20, FIG. 9, in which the core is made of two like core pieces 22 and 24. Each cycle of operation of the machine, a pair of coils are wound respectively about a pair of the core pieces 22, 24 one of the coils being wound in one direc tion to obtain a magnetic write function and the other being wound in the opposite direction to obtain a magnetic read function. Subsequent to the winding operations, which are performed simultaneously, the core pieces 22 and 24 are cemented together with a suitable cement which may be an epoxy or other cement.

The coil winding machine comprises in general, a supporting means or base plate 26, a pair of laterally positioned coil winding devices or wire threaded needles 28, 30, and a core indexing device including a core carrier 32. The needles 28, 30 and the core carrier 32 are mounted on the base plate 26, the needles being revolvable about the core pieces 22, 24 and the carrier 32 being linearly movable to effect a helical winding of the wire about the cores.

The needles 22, 24 are tubular needles and are carried respectively by heads 34 which are aflixed respectively to the ends of a pair of hollow driven shafts 36 and 38. The shafts 36 and 38 are laterally positioned in parallel spaced relation and are journaled in end walls 40 and 42 of a transmission gear housing 44 which is mounted on the rightward end of base plate 26, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Within the gear housing 44 a pair of meshed gears 46 and 48 are affixed respectively to the shafts 36 and 38, and gear 48 is driven by a driving gear 50 which is aflixed to a shaft 52. A slip clutch 54, which may be of any conventional type, is provided to couple shaft 52 to a driving shaft 56 which is driven by an electric motor 58 by means of a pulley and belt drive connection 60.

The shafts 36 and 38 project through the housing end wall 42, and affixed onto the ends of the shafts is a pair of supporting members 62 and 64 respectively, in the form of yokes. Each of the yokes 62 and 64 supports a reel 66 of wire and the Wire as at 68 is threaded through the hollow shafts 36 and 38 and through the hollow needles 28 and 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the needles 28 and 30 are respectively offset laterally from the axes of their respective shafts 36 and 38 so that the needles will revolve about the shaft axes, and a pair of relatively offset rollers 70 are preferably mounted on the needle heads 34 to guide the wire from the heads to their respective offset needles 28 and 30. Between the guide rollers 70 of each pair there is preferably provided an adjustable clamp 72 by means of which to apply a desired amount of braking force against the wire to prevent backlash.

The core carrier 32 is mounted for reciprocal movement axially of the axes of revolution of the needles 28, 30 on a pair of laterally positioned fixed guide rods 74. Rigidly mounted on the base plate 26 there is a bridge type mounting bracket 76 which extends over the core carrier 32, and journaled on the horizontal web of the bracket 76 there is a cam member 78 to reciprocate the core carrier 32. As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, the cam member 78 is keyed to a vertical shaft 80 which is journaled for rotation in the web of the bracket 76, the shaft 80 being driven from a horizontal driving shaft 82 through connecting gears 84. The shaft 80 connects the cam 78 to a speed reduction mechanism 85 within the gear housing 44, the speed reduction mechanism being driven from shaft 36 by means of bevel gears 87. The cam member 78 is in the form of a plate having an endless cam groove 86 provided in the underside thereof to receive a cam follower 88 which is rotatably mounted in and projects upwardly from the core carrier 32. The core carrier 32 is made reciprocal so as to wind a number of layers of wire about the core pieces 22, 24, the present cam being designed to reciprocate the carrier twice, or four strokes so as to coil four layers of the wire onto the cores each cycle of rotation of the cam.

A detent member or pin 90 normally engages in an aperture 92 in the cam 78 to hold the cam in home or starting position during which the slip clutch 54 slips to effectively disconnect the continuously operating motor 58 and the gear mechanism drive shaft 44. Supporting an extension member 94 of the bracket 76 there is a standard 96 having a hollow boss 98 provided with a vertical guide bushing 100 for guiding the clutch pin 90. A power element 102, preferably an air cylinder, is provided to retract the pin 90 and is controlled by a solenoid valve in communication with a suitable source of pressurized air. The air cylinder shown is of the well known type in which the conventional piston is biased by a return spring (not shown) which in the present machine would urge the pin 90 into the cam plate aperture 92. Retraction of the pin 90 out of the aperture 92 initiates rotation of the cam 90 which makes one complete revolution and is again stopped by the pin.

The core piece carrier 32 may be a fabricated structure comprising a cast frame 106 and a horizontal wear plate 108. The plate 108 may be rigidly secured to the frame 106 by screws, or by other suitable means. In addition, the carrier 32 has at its rightward end, facing FIG. 2, a lower horizontal plate 110, a pair of laterally positioned spaced apart front plates 112, and end plates 114 which together with the cast frame 106 provide a pair of laterally positioned box-like structures. The plates 110, 112 and 114 may be rigidly secured together and to the cast frame 106 by screws or by other suitable means.

In the upper surface of the carrier plate 108 there is a pair of laterally positioned parallel core piece guideways or grooves 116 which extend longitudinally of the direction of movement of the carrier. The grooves 116 run out of the rightward edge 117 of the plate 108 at core piece winding stations 119 where a pair of the core pieces are held in registration respectively with the axes of revolution of the needles 23 and 30. Mounted on the carrier plate 108 there is a core piece dispenser including a pair of upright laterally positioned magazines 118 which respectively overlie the grooves 116 in communication therewith. A number of the core pieces 22, 24 are stacked in the magazines and feed downwardly by gravity to the grooves 116 in the carrier plate 103. Positioned in each of the grooves 116 there is a reciprocal core dispensing plunger 120 each of which is actuated by an air cylinder 122 under the control of a solenoid valve 124. As shown in FIG. 2, the air cylinders 122 are mounted on the carrier frame 106 by brackets 126, secured to the frame by studs 128. The air cylinders 122 are adjusted to set the strokes of the plungers 120 so that for each stroke of the plungers, the core pieces 22, 24 in the guide grooves 116 will be advanced a distance equal to the length of a core piece. As shown, the outermost ones of the core pieces 22, 24 project beyond the edge 117 of the plate 108 to receive coils from the needles 2%, 30 and consequently when the plungers 120 are actuated, the coiled core pieces are ejected from the carrier and replaced with the next core pieces to be wound. Retraction of the plungers 120 allows the lowermost ones of the core pieces in the magazines 118 to drop down into the grooves 116 to replace the ejected wound core pieces.

With particular reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 11, a bridge type clamp in the form of a bar 130 is provided to clamp the core pieces 22, 24 at the winding stations 119 to the carrier plate 108. The clamping bar 130 bridges the core winding stations 119 above the plate 108 just forwardly of the magazines. Downwardly directed ends 132 of the bar 120 have pressure pads 134 which may be of resilient rubber for abutment with the core pieces 22, 24, as shown in FIG. 8. The clamping bar 130 is connected to a lower cross bar 136 below the carrier frame 106 by a pair of laterally positioned vertical rods 138 and the cross bar 136 is affixed to the upper end of a connecting rod 140 of a power element or air cylinder 142. Preferably, the rods 138 are slidably guided in guide bushings 144 which extend through and secured in and to the carrier frame 106 and plate 108. The air cylinder 142 is rigidly secured in and to the lower plate 110 of the carrier frame 106 and extends downwardly therefrom through the base plate 26. The air cylinder may be of a conventional type suitable for moving the clamping bar down to clamp the core pieces 22, 24 to the carrier plate 108 and is under control of a solenoid valve 146 in communication with a source of compressed air. The air cylinder 142 may be of the well known type having a return spring (not shown) for raising the clamping bar 130. It will thus be seen that the clamping bar 130 and its operating mechanism are carried by the reciprocal core carrier 32 and are adapted to hold the cores to the carrier during the coil winding operations.

In order for the coil winding machine to operate automatically, I provide a pair of wire handling devices respectively for the pair of coil winding devices, the wire handling devices each including a wire back-up element 150. These back-up elements 150, in the form of spool segments or pulleys, are fixed respectively to the upper ends of a pair of laterally positioned vertical shafts 152 which are journaled for rotation within the box structures adjacent the rightward edge 117 of the carrier plate 108. As shown, the carrier plate 108 is provided on its underside with a pair of laterally positioned clearance recesses 154 to receive the pulleys which are thus positioned between plate 108 and the upper surface of the carrier frame 106. The clearance recesses 154 open through the rightward edge 117 of the carrier plate 108 to allow the pulleys to project therefrom. The pulleys 150 are arranged with their axes vertically disposed so as to rotate in a horizontal plane passing between the core pieces 22 and 24 at the winding stations and the ends of the needles 28 and 30. As seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, and in accordance with the invention the peripheries of the pulleys 150 have double, wire receiving grooves 156 separated by a flange 153 that projects radially beyond the outer flanges of the pulley, and flange 158 is interrupted to provide a wire engaging hook 160.

Adjacent their lower ends, the shafts 152 of the wire back-up elements 150 each has aifixed thereto a pinion 162 in mesh with a reciprocal gear rack 164. The gear racks 164 are independently operated by a pair of power elements or air cylinders 166 under control of solenoid valves 168 in communication with a source of compressed air. When the solenoid valves 168 are activated, the air cylinders 166 move the racks 164 and through rotation of the pinions 162 rotate the pulleys 150. As seen in FIG. 1, the pulleys 150 must rotate in opposite directions relative to each other. Upon rotation of the pulleys 150, 151 through predetermined arcs, the hooks carried thereby respectively engage the wire between the needles 28, 30 and their corresponding core piece and pull loops of the wires from the reels 66 through the needles, the hook 160 guiding the legs of the loops respectively into the double grooves of the pulleys and carrying the loops around to loop severing stations 170, FIG. 12. In these positions of the pulleys 150, a clearance cut-out 172 in each is in registration respectively with the cutting edge 174 of a reciprocal wire cutter 176. As shown in FIG. 12, the cutters 176 are slidable on the upper surface of the carrier frame 106 and guided in a channel 178 in the underside of carrier plate 108. Mounted on the underside of the carrier plate 106, FIG. 14, is a pair of power elements or air cylinders 180, one for operating each of the wire cutters 176.

The legs of each of the loops, pulled over to the wire severing stations by the pulleys 150, are designated 184 and 186, FIG. 12, and after severance of the wire, leg 184, of course, becomes a lead of the coil just wound whereas the other leg 186 on the needle side of the severance becomes the starting lead for the next core to be wound. In order to provide a fully automatic machine to carry out the operations of applying coils to successively presented core pieces, I provide for releasably holding or anchoring the loop leg 136 at least until a sufficient number of convolutions of the coil have been wound about the core to hold the wire against slippage. To accomplish this, I provide a pair of wire holders or clamping members 190, one for each of the pair of coil winding devices. The clamping members 190 are carried by the carrier 32 and are pivotally mounted as arms on the carrier upright plates 112, FIGS. 11 and 12. Also the clamping arms 190 are positioned such that they pivot in a plane passing between the needles 28, 30 and the front ends of the wound cores or transverse to the plane of rotation of the loop pulleys 150.

At the proper time, prior to the wire severing operation, the clamp arms 190 are pivoted in opposite directions to engage the loops pulled laterally by the hooks 160 to clamp the needle side legs 186 of the loops against wedge members 192. After the severing operations of the wire loops, the clamp arms 190 continue to hold the severed leg, 186, or needle end of the wire, against the wedge members 192 until enough wire convolutions have been wound about the next pair of cores to insure against slippage of the coil about the cores. Adjacent its free end, each of the clamping arms 190 preferably has a notch to provide a hooked end 194 to hook the wire loops. A pair of power elements or air cylinders 196 under the control of solenoid valves 198 may be employed to move the clamping arms 190 to the wire holding positions shown in dot and dash lines. A coil spring 200 having its opposite ends connected respectively to the clamping arms 190 returns the arms to retracted or wire release positions upon deactivation of the air cylinders. In the present construction the connecting rod, as at 202, of each of the air cylinders 196 is connected to its respective clamping arm 190 by a length of cord 204.

Referring now :to the diagrammatic illustration of the machine and its control system, FIG. 16, the numerals 206 and 208 designate main electric lines across which are connected in parallel the motor 58, a timer motor 210 and the several air cylinder solenoid valves 124, 144, 104, 168, 182, and 198. In the main line 206 a conventional line switch 212 is illustrated and in the timer motor circuit there is a manually operable switch 214. The timer motor 210 drives a cam shaft 216 having timing cams 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 and 228 thereon for respectively actuating switches 230, 232, 234, 236, 238 and 240' to re spectively control operation of the air cylinder solenoid valves 124, 144, 104, 168, 182 and 198.

OPERATION When the line switch 212 is closed, the motor 58 is energized to operate continuously, but at this time, the detent pin 90 is holding cam 7-8 against rotation causing clutch 54 to slip, thus preventing operation of the machine. Initiation of the cycling operation of the machine is effected by the closing of switch 214 which starts the timer motor 210. After a short delay following the start of timer motor 210, the timer cam 218 closes the contacts of solenoid switch 230 which activates the air cylinders 122 which forces the plungers 120 forwardly to move a pair of the core pieces 20, 22 to the coil winding stations 119, FIGS. 1 and 12. The timer cam 218 then allows the contacts of solenoid switch 230 to open whereupon the air cylinders 122 move the plungers 120' to their retracted positions, allowing the lowermost core pieces 20, 22 in the magazines 118 to drop down into the core piece guideways 116. The timing cam 220 now closes the solenoid valve contacts 232, activating the air cylinder 142 which moves and holds the clamp 130 down against the pair of core pieces 20, 22 at the winding stations 119. Next, the timing cam 222 closes the solenoid valve contacts 234 which activates the air cylinder 102 to retract pin 90 whereupon the slip clutch 54 becomes effective so that the motor 5-8 now drives the gears 46, 48 and the shafts 36, 38 of the coil winding needles 28, 30 and also the cam 78 through the connecting shaft 82. After the cam 78 starts to rotate, timing cam 222 opens the solenoid contacts 234 which deactivates the air cylinder 102, allowing the air cylinder return spring to urge the upper end of the pin against the underside of cam 78 in preparation for reinsertion in the cam aperture upon completion of one cam revolution. As the wire carrying needles 28-, 30 revolve about the coe pieces 22, 24, the cam 78 reciprocates the core carrier to establish the helical lead of the coil. In the present machine, the cam 78 is designed to reciprocate the carrier 32 twice each rotation of the cam 50 as to place four layers of wire on each of the core pieces, the first stroke of the carrier being from left to right facing FIG. 2. As previously indicated, upon completion of the winding of four layers of wire on each of the core pieces 22, 24, the pin has reentered the aperture in cam 78 stopping the latter and, by reason of the slip clutch 54, stopping the coil winding operation.

Following completion of the coil winding operation, timing cam 222 opens the solenoid valve contacts 234, and timing cam 224 closes the solenoid valve contacts 236. Upon the closing of contacts 236, the air cylinders 166 are activated which retract the gear racks 164 and rotate the wire pulley segments 150. The hooks of the segments 150 engage the corresponding wire strand portions between the needles 28, 30 and the wound cores 22, 24 and pull loops of the wire strands from the reels 66- laterally, the legs 184, 186 of the loop being guided into the grooves 156 of the pulleys by the hooks.

Next, the timing cam 228 closes the solenoid valve contacts 240 which activates the air cylinders 196 to pivot the clamping arms 194. The arms 194 hook onto the loop legs 186 and pull loop portions thereof down and clamp them against the wedge members 192. Following this clamping operation, the timing cam 226 closes the solenoid valve contacts 238 which activates the air cylinders which then operate the cutters 176 to sever the wound coils from the reel wire stock. The timing cams 220, 224, 226 and 228 now operate to deactivate their respective air cylinders 142, 122, 180' and 196 with the result that the loop pulleys 150, cutters 176, clamping arms and the core piece clamp 130 return to their normal or home positions. Since the timer motor operates continuously, the next cycle of operations of the machine follows automatically the release of the clamp 130.

What I claim is:

1. In a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions to wind a length of the wire about a core piece, a reciprocal table for movement toward and away from the needle axially thereof, said table having a guide slot in the upper face thereof with one end of the slot in registration with the axis of revolution of said needle, a releasable core clamp mounted on said table at said one end of the slot, a core magazine mounted on said table and in communication with said guide slot, a plunger in said glide slot and operable to move a core to the end thereof to be held by said clamp during the coil winding operation, a peripherally grooved spool mounted for rotation about an axis transverse to the wire portion between the last wire convolution on the core and the needle, a hook on the periphery of said spool operable upon rotation of said spool to engage the wire portion and pull a loop of the wire into the groove of said spool and position the loop at a wire severing station, and a cutter at said severing station operable to sever the loop.

2. In a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions, a reciprocal table movable toward and away from the needle axially thereof, said table having a guide slot in the upper face thereof with one end of the slot in registration with the axis of revolution of said needle, a releasable core clamp mounted on said table at said one end of the slot, a core magazine mounted on said table and in communication with said guide slot, a plunger in said guide slot and operable to move a core to the end thereof to be held by said clamp during the coil winding operation, a peripherally grooved spool mounted for rotation about an axis transverse to the wire portion between the last wire convolution on the core and the needle, a hook on the periphery of said spool operable upon rotation of said spool to engage the wire portion and pull .a loop of the wire into the groove of said spool and position the loop at a wire severing station, a cutter at said severing station operable to sever the :loop, and a releasable clamp operable to engage and hold the needle leg of the loop prior to operation of said -cutter.

3. In -a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions to wind a length of wire from a reel about a core piece, a wire handling mechanism comprising a double grooved spool segment rotatable about an axis transverse to the wire portion between the needle and the last wire convolution wound on the core, a hook carried by said spool segment at the periphery thereof, said spool segment rotatable from a norm-ally retracted position to engage the wire portion with said hook and pull a wire loop portion from the reel to a wire severing station with the coil side leg of the loop in one of the spool grooves and the needle side leg in the other of the grooves, and a cutter at said wire severing station cooperable with said spool to sever the loop.

4. In a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions to wind a length of wire from a reel about a core piece, a wire handling mechanism comprising a double grooved spool segment rotatable about an axis transverse to the wire portion between the needle and the last wire convolution wound on the core, a hook carried by said spool segment at the periphery thereof, said spool segment rotatable from a normally retracted position to engage the wire portion with said hook and pull a wire loop portion from the reel to a wire severing station with the coil side leg of the loop in one of the spool grooves and the needle side leg in the other of the grooves, a cutter at said wire severing station cooperab-le with said spool to sever the loop, and a clamp operable to clamp and hold the needle side leg of the loop prior to operation of said cutter.

5. In a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions to wind a length of wire from a reel about a core piece, a wire handling mechanism comprising a double grooved spool segment rotatable about an axis transverse to the wire portion between the needle and the last wire convolution wound on the core, a hook carried by said spool segment at the periphery thereof, said spool segment rotatable from a normally retracted position to engage the wire portion with said hook and pull a 5 8 wire loop portion from the reel to a wire severing station with the coil side leg of the loop in one of the spool grooves and the needle side leg in the other of the grooves, a cutter at said wire severing station cooperable with said spool to sever the loop, a clamp operable to clamp and hold the reel leg of the loop prior to operation of said cutter, means operable to actuate said cutter, means operable to actuate said clamp, and timer means operable to control both said actuators.

6. In a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions to wind -a length of wire about a core piece, a wire handling mechanism comprising a hook mounted for movement from a retracted position at one side of the axis of revolution of the needle to a wire severing station on the other side of the axis of revolution of the needle, said hook engaging and pulling a loop of the wire including a coil side leg and a needle side leg to the wire severing station, a cutter at the wire severing station, a releasable clamp member operable following the pulling of the loop by said hook to engage and hold the needle side leg of the loop, and a back-up member movable with said hook to said wire severing position in registry with said cutter.

7. In a coil winding machine having a wire threaded needle revolvable through a cycle of operation between start and stop positions to wind a length of wire about a core piece, a wire handling mechanism comprising a hook pivotal from a retracted position at one side of the axis of revolution of the needle to a wire severing station at the other side of the axis of revolution of the needle, said hook to engage the wire portion between the needle and the core and pull a loop of the wire including a coil side leg and a needle side leg from the needle to the wire severing station, a wire back-up member movable with said hook and having a pair of grooves to receive and separate the legs of the loop, a wire clamp member, a hook operable to engage the need-1e side leg and hold it against said clamp member, and a cutter at said wire severing station operable to sever the wire loop.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,287 4/1938 Cullin -92.2 2,627,379 2/1953 Moore 24213 2,630,275 3/1953 Perry 24219 2,674,414 4/1954 Hicks et al. 24225 2,763,442 9/1956 Bruestle 24225 2,976,894 3/1961 Philip 2427 X 3,002,259 10/1961 Fletcher et a1 24213 X FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

MERVIN STEIN, Examiner.

B. S. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner. 

6. IN A COIL WINDING MACHINE HAVING A WIRE THREADED NEEDLE REVOLVABLE THROUGH A CYCLE OF OPERATION BETWEEN START AND STOP POSITIONS TO WIND A LENGTH OF WIRE ABOUT A CORE PIECE, A WIRE HANDLING MECHANISM COMPRISING A HOOK MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT FROM A RETRACTED POSITION AT ONE SIDE OF THE AXIS OF REVOLUTION OF THE NEEDLE TO A WIRE SEVERING STATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AXIS OF REVOLUTION OF THE NEEDLE, SAID HOOK ENGAGING AND PULLING A LOOP OF THE WIRE INCLUDING A COIL SIDE LEG AND A NEEDLE SIDE LEG TO THE WIRE SEVERING STATION, A CUTTER AT THE WIRE SEVERING STATION, A RELEASABLE CLAMP MEMBER OPERABLE FOLLOWING THE PULLING OF THE LOOP BY SAID HOOK TO ENGAGE AND HOLD THE NEEDLE SIDE LEG OF THE LOOP, AND A BACK-UP MEMBER MOVABLE WITH SAID HOOK TO SAID WIRE SEVERING POSITION IN REGISTRY WITH SAID CUTTER. 